Manhattan Haunts: A Ghostbusters Fan’s Guide to New York City

This year marks the 34th anniversary of supernatural comedy classic Ghostbusters (1984) and the phenomenal franchise it spawned. To celebrate, embark on a self-made movie tour in New York City by visiting seven locations that served iconic scenes in the film and its 1989 sequel, as well as the 2016 reboot-inspired attraction in Times Square.

Happy Death Day

When Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes in a stranger’s dorm, she hastily departs and sets off about her day like she would any other, save for her walk of shame across the bustling campus. That, and when she arrives at her sorority house, her roommate presents her with a birthday cupcake. But Tree doesn’t care much for carbs, or even kind gestures for that matter. When night falls, she’s stalked by someone who’s dressed as the college’s creepy baby-faced mascot. Before she’s able to get away, she’s stabbed to death. Not a moment later, she wakes in the same stranger’s dorm, recognising everything thereafter from the busy campus to the cupcake. And when night falls, the same maniac shows up and kills her all over again.

The Ritual Review

Following the death of their friend Robert in a violent burglary, a group of friends continue with their plans to go for a lads’ weekend hiking through the Swedish Mountains to honour his memory. Among them, Luke (an as usual-convincing Rafe Spall) shoulders the guilt of Robert's death and is paranoid that the others blame him. But when they suffer an injury, they exchange their mountainous trek for an apparently shorter one through the shadowy forests in the valley, where group dynamics become the least of their worries. A malevolent presence soon makes itself known, and one-by-one, as is the case in this neck of the woods within the bleak horror-verse, the friends are hunted and mutilated.

Reach For The Sky: How Disney Inspires Me To Aim Higher With My Writing

It’s no mystery to you that I love writing. The fact that I blog speaks for itself. And in my post on Disney LA some months back now, I did touch briefly on how its magic helps bolster my creativity, too. But why does it inspire me so much, and how? And how can it help do the same for you - assuming of course you love writing, too. I’ve come to realise that I’ve not spent an awful lot of time talking to you about my writing and my projects in this blog, but now it’s time for a change. It’s time I shared my learnings with you, and also gave a little insight as to what inspires me.

Flash Reviews: Baby Driver, Cars 3, Dunkirk And 47 Metres Down

Baby Driver

Baby is a getaway driver who relies on his collection of retro tracks to do his job – or at least in style. But when his latest task goes horribly wrong, he must figure out a way of hitting the road with his waitress love-interest and starting anew before his violent teammates figure out what he’s up to. With plenty of groove, solid storytelling and charm in its engine, Baby Driver is the most stylistic and soulful wheel-based flick since 2011’s Drive, and with an opening chase so wonderfully-choreographed, you’ll realise it’s not all about being fast and furious.

The House Definitely Doesn't Win...

The comedy movie. It's a tough nut to crack. Hell, it's probably easier to scare the audience than it is to make them laugh, and even that is no easy feat. And of course there have been countless comedies that have failed miserably in this way. But never - at least not that I can recall - have I ever seen one that is as groundbreakingly-unfunny as Will Ferrell's latest.

War For The Planet Of The Apes Review: All Of Cinematic History Has Led To This Moment

“The best and most groundbreaking film since Jurassic Park”

There can’t be a human being alive who isn’t familiar with Planet of the Apes, whether it’s the classic 1968 original starring the late Charlton Heston and the late Roddy McDowall, along with its four sequels and 70’s TV spin-off, or Tim Burton’s hugely-panned 2001 remake starring Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter, or now Rupert Wyatt/ Matt Reeves’ groundbreaking trilogy. Add to all of that the animated series, the video games, the graphic novels and all the old-school cosplay that has populated comic conventions the world over since the dawn of ape, and you have a franchise that rivals the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek, but one which speaks to the audience on a deeper level with its commentary on our society as well as our treatment of primates not so deep within its subtext.

It Comes At Night Review

Paul (Joel Edgerton), his wife Sarah and their teenage son Travis, live in a cabin in the woods during a seemingly post-apocalypse, the unseen outside world having apparently been ravaged by a deadly virus. Their survival depends on a set of airtight rules, which is made clear from the offset when they are forced to shoot dead and then burn Sarah's father having discovered he is infected. But when stranger Will tries to break in one night, Paul is forced to make some new rules.

The Mummy 2017 Review

When Universal Pictures very prematurely announced that The Mummy would be the first in their cinematic universe named, ahem, Dark Universe, my eyes – like many others’ – rolled. I’ve nothing against shared cinematic universes. Hell, I’m all for it. Look at the incredible job the MCU has done, with the DCEU being taught lessons by Wonder Woman and her lasso, and even this year’s Kong: Skull Island breathing some much-needed fire into Warner Bros. and Legendary's new monster franchise. But those guys? The Wolfman, Swamp Thing, Frankenstein, Dracula et al? Really? But if the filmmakers really think it’s going to work – and they surely do given such an early promise of a shared universe, and it’s got Tom Cruise - I’ll make the effort to go watch this new reiteration of The Mummy even if it does seem overly action-focused and starring a very out of place Tom Cruise, and see what it is they've done. And that’s just what I did.

Iceland

After New York, we headed to Reykjavik, Iceland. Intended only as a short stay and as a way of breaking up the otherwise longer haul back to Earth (otherwise known as the “UK”), Reykjavik turned out to be more of a snapshot into the country than anything else.